Printing

Why reconsider printing?

Reducing the amount of printing we do as a university can result in dramatic reductions in environmental, social and economic costs. By reducing our printing footprint, we can less the negative environmental effects of printing that include deforestation, reductions in biodiversity, erosion, the release of harmful emissions that affect air quality and contribute to climate change, and the amount of chemical waste produced, energy used and water consumed.

The true economic cost of printing also extends beyond the cost of copy paper. Printing also requires ink, maintenance of printers and copiers, dedicated filing and storage space, the purchase of postage, and the labor costs associated with all of these activities.

Printing statistics

Each year Indiana University consumes an extraordinary amount of paper. Check out the statistics from 2013 below to gain a better understanding of the true economic and environmental costs of printing.

157,000,000pages

at cost of more than $1,000,000 to the university.

18,700trees

for a total of more than 783 tons of paper.

Rethink printing

Use print preview to check your document. Then, print only your final copy.

Reduce the size of fonts and margins to get more text per sheet of paper.

Print double-sided or multiple pages per sheet.

Read and edit online whenever possible.

Ask instructors to accept assignments online rather than in print.

Share documents and collaborate online with collaboration tools like Box.

Store files electronically instead of in paper files. Say goodbye to filing cabinets! Online services like Box, Google Drive and Dropbox also allow you to access your files from anywhere with an internet connection.

Reuse single side paper. Use the blank side for notes or as drawing paper.